An ode to the Mario Party franchise

Luke Roberson, Howler Staff Writer

On October 29 2021, the newest addition to the Mario Party franchise came to the Nintendo Switch. Mario Party Superstars costs $59.99 and is designed for one to four players.

The game is an anthology that contains aspects from all previous Mario Party games. As a long-time fan of the Mario Party franchise, I found this premise very exciting.

When you launch the game, you are greeted in typical Mario Party fashion by a Koopa Troopa explaining the background of the party and how to play. The tutorial is very helpful and builds on the game’s simplicity. 

The game is played like every Mario Party before it, with players rolling a die on their turn and moving that amount of spaces. You can land on a number of different spaces that do different things such as gaining or losing coins and items. There are also Bowser Spaces that set you back in coins or stars.  

The game ends after a set amount of turns, ranging from 10 to 30 and whoever has the most stars and coins at the end wins. You can buy a star on the board for 20 of your coins and players are also rewarded with stars based on various achievements at the end of the game. 

Now, obviously, Superstars uses a lot of mechanics of old games, but I think the new additions are where it really shines. You can add turns mid-game and Superstars is also the first Mario Party to have stickers, which are a form of emote. I think that the stickers are a great addition and make the game much funnier. 

It’s unfair to judge the game with a blanket X/10 score, so I am going to judge it based on the three most important components. 

Gameplay: 

The gameplay is very authentic to the franchise. There is an absurd amount of replayability in the expansive amount of mini-games and maps. There are a plethora of characters to choose from, including fan-favorites like Mario and Donkey Kong.  Overall 9/10

Fun:

The game really shines in its social aspect. I haven’t had so much fun at a party game in a while. The minigames are very entertaining and the boards are chaotic in the best way possible. Absolute 10/10, a great game to play with friends and family. 

Nostalgia: 

My family is full of Mario Party fans and we all agree the game is a great addition to the franchise, it draws upon all of our childhood fondness of Mario Party games. 10/10